Ghosts of the Ancient City at the Library

Author Mary Anna Evans

A special appearance with award winning author Mary Anna Evans will be held in the Leesburg Public Library on Wednesday, October 20th at 6:30 p.m. In Strangers, heroine Faye Longchamp’s new archaeological firm has landed a project in St. Augustine, Florida. In four centuries, America's oldest city has accumulated skeletons that should probably stay buried. Within a day of Faye's arrival, a woman disappears, leaving behind blood, priceless artifacts, and a note asking for Faye's help. The detective hires Faye to find the artifacts' origin. But the ghosts of the Ancient City are demanding masters, and Faye is also driven to uncover their secrets—until it becomes clear that what they seek is Faye herself. And her child...

On her website, Mary Anna includes a readers’ guide which as she says, is a chance to talk directly with the people who enjoy reading Faye’s adventures as much as she enjoys writing them. “Composing the “Guide for the Incurably Curious” has become a rite of passage for me. It means that I’ve finished a book that has consumed a year of my life. And it’s my chance to put some thought into what that book means.”

“I always want to know what questions my books leave behind in the minds of the people who read them. Because no book can answer every question for every person. Certainly no novel can. Part of a novelist’s art is deciding what to reveal and what to withhold. It is part of my job to leave you with space for wonder.”

“I write fiction. I make a lot of this stuff up. But I write stories about a woman who loves history and archaeology, and it’s important to me that my made-up stories about Faye co-exist plausibly with the real world. As a novelist, I also put a high value on the facts that underpin my story. If my readers recognize that the laws of physics and the flow of history are not violated too terribly in my stories, then they can believe the more implausible twists that are inherent in fiction. In other words, if Faye behaves like a real-life archaeologist, my readers are much more likely to swallow the notion that she stumbles across a murder victim every now and then.”

The event is free and open to all ages, sponsored by Lake County Library Services and the Friends of the Leesburg Library. Books will be available for purchase from Raintree Books. For more information on the author, visit www.maryannaevans.com.